How Vision Boards Can Help You Get Well

In my book, FibroWHYalgia, I point out that WORDS are POWERFUL! The sting from angry words can hurt far longer than any physical cut or wound. But what about positive words?

While it’s true that words can hurt – they can also heal.

Did you ever notice that our thoughts tend to dwell on the negative? When I do speaking engagements, I often include information on how to deal with negative thoughts because they’re problematic for most of us. In this blog post, I’ll define one method to tackle negative thinking in a very real and powerful way.

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It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what happens when pictures AND words work together? I’m here to say that you can paint a picture for yourself that will put you in a positive frame of mind, ultimately leading to healing. And … there’s no artistic talent required. You can create your own Vision Board!

The first step to create a Vision Board is to think about your future – the future as you’d LIKE it to be. What changes would you like to envision for your life? What are your dreams and goals? Would you like to run a marathon? Be healthy enough to play backyard games with your children and/or grandchildren? Keep these positive thoughts in mind as you flip through magazines and advertisements. Clip out words, phrases, pictures, etc. that appeal to you. When you’re in a positive frame of mind, you’ll be surprised at the abundance of titles, headlines, and positive words that jump out at you.

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Words and phrases such as Happy, Great Food, Today is YOUR Day, Feel Renewed, Transformation, Miracle of Miracles, Feel Uplifted are some that I recently found in my Costco and Woman’s World magazines. I also cut out pictures of flowers, vegetables, berries, pets, scenic views and anything else that appeals to me. Pictures are optional, words are mandatory.

The next step is to arrange your clippings onto a poster board, cardboard, or anything that works for you. You can use the back of a tablet of paper, the cardboard insert that came with your husband’s new shirt, or whatever you have handy. Don’t get too worried about the details. You may wish to create a border first with ribbon, wrapping paper, or even the Sunday funnies. Use whatever glue you have handy and then begin to affix your clippings in an eye-pleasing arrangement. In general, place larger clippings on the board first and then add smaller ones as you go.

Again, don’t get too fussy. It’s OK if you’re not a particularly crafty person. Don’t let yourself feel as if you’re in 7th grade art class worrying about the grade you’ll receive for your less-than stellar work. You need to please no one but yourself.

You’ll definitely be pleased and surprised by the final result. Your Vision Board will make you feel happy, energized, hopeful, and positive just by looking at it. Keep it where you’ll see it most. You might even want to make more than one. You could create one Vision Board for your health goals and another for your business/professional goals — whatever works for you.

Vision Boards are great group projects, too. It’s wonderful to sit with friends as you clip and glue. You’ll notice that friends and family members are great at finding words that “fit” your health goals and when they’re on board, they’re better able to support you in the future.

Here’s to your Vision Board and how it can help to create the vision of YOUR future!